Another 301 patients have sued Robert Hadden, MD, and Columbia University, alleging the gynecologist sexually abused them during examinations, The Wall Street Journal reported Oct. 3.
Dr. Hadden, a former OB-GYN at New York City-based Columbia University who was convicted of sexual abuse earlier this year, was sentenced July 25 to 20 years in prison. He was convicted on four counts of enticement and inducement to travel to engage in unlawful sexual activity, each of which carries a five-year maximum sentence.
The new lawsuit, filed Oct. 3, more than doubles the number of victims from the previous lawsuits. It is the third civil case filed against Columbia involving Dr. Hadden. The suit describes Dr. Hadden as "the most prolific serial sexual predator in New York state history" and alleges that hospital staff and administrators knew of the abuse starting as early as 1994 and did nothing to stop it.
Columbia previously settled with 79 patients in 2021 and with 147 patients in 2022, paying more than $237 million.